Biomedical Engineer
Summary
The VHASLC Health Care System is supported by approximately $50 million inventory of biomedical equipment, with around 12,500 devices and 35 biomedical networked systems, 5 wireless networks, in approximately 515 documented risk categories. The Clinical Engineering Service oversees and performs all biomedical equipment management and maintenance for all medical equipment as well as various other non-biomedical equipment/devices/systems.
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Duties
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- Performs work as a Biomedical Engineer, working closely with the Supervisory Biomedical Engineer, Supervisory BESS and Chief of Biomedical Engineering.
- Knowledge and Skill in applying an equipment management program that meets current Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requirements.
- Advises clinical and administrative staff on emerging medical engineering technology, while keeping abreast of changes in such technology, and utilizing the innovation to solve biomedical engineering problems.
- Advise clinical and administrative staff on medical engineering technology, including existing and emerging technology and which addresses viability, long-term suitability, compatibility, and/or safety.
- Serves as staff technical consultant to the Biomedical Engineering Section in the area of Biomedical Engineering support of Biomedical Networked Systems and Project Management, as well as on other engineering principles and practices.
- Areas of expertise relate to the area of specialization and scientific discipline, drawing from professional education background as well as practical experience.
- In the absence of the Chief Supervisory Biomedical Engineer or Supervisory Biomedical Engineer, performs any supervisory duties required of the position. At any time, may be asked to perform supervisory-related research on BESS performance parameters, equipment history data, and benchmarking data, to be used in supervisory- related decisions.
- Keeps contents of such research information secure and confidential.
- Speaks about such information or data-driven conclusions only to Chief or Supervisory Biomedical Engineer, peer Staff Biomedical Engineer, and/or Supervisory Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist/ Lead Technician.
- Assists in the personnel functions for the Biomedical Engineering Section. This includes the recruitment, interviewing, evaluation, hiring, and training of new section staff, as well as the development of position descriptions, duty assignments and personnel management.
- Assists in the management of the medical instrument maintenance program, clinical information system management and medical device integration projects.
- Ensure that medical equipment in the Medical Center is safe for patients and staff, reliable in its results, and experiences minimal downtime.
- Programs must be operated as economically as possible while meeting requirements.
- Metrics of the program must be tracked and resource adjustments made to ensure performance.
- Assists in ensuring that accreditation requirements, standards and regulations of The Joint Commission (TJC), OIG, SOARS, CAP, CARF, NFPA-99, NFPA-70, NFPA-101, FDA/CDRH, SMDA, ADA, NRC, OSHA, EPA and other organizations and agencies are met for the biomedical equipment management program.
- Provides leadership to ensure that high-performance customer support is provided to medical staff, dental staff, nurses and allied health technologists.
- Shares responsibility of representing the Medical Center in meetings with manufacturers, vendors and their engineers in matters involving medical instrumentation.
- Provides accurate, balanced advice to management regarding decisions to be made for new acquisitions.
- Assists in providing Project Management for the purchase, planning, construction design review, installation, and in-service training stages of biomedical instrumentation projects such as cardiac catheterization laboratories, radiology suites and computer systems.
- Addressing off-hour support issues such as evenings, weekends, and holidays, in order to provide 24 x 7 coverage.
- Maintains training and certification to serve as a Federal Project Officer or Contract Officer Representative (COR).
- Shares responsibility in ensuring that HIPAA and network security issues are managed effectively for biomedical networked systems.
- Trains clinical staff on specific subjects as needed. Provides personal technical support to the staff in order to resolve systems problems.
- Provides support to the medical staff to help resolve equipment-related problems.
- This at times requires being an intermediary between the medical staff and the technical experts at other companies.
- Diagnoses, configures, calibrates, troubleshoots, repairs, documents, administers, all VLANs,.VPN tunnels, HL-7, Cloverleaf Interface Engines, DICOM Interfaces, CARESCAPE Gateway, and POE switches involved in biomedical networked systems (PACS, CIS, ARK, Nurse Call, Intercom, VOIP phones, Endoscopic Imaging, VISTA Imaging, etc). Identifies, rates risk, and removes single points of failure for any biomedical networked systems.
Work Schedule: M-F 7:30am -4:00pm.
Telework: Not Available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #:56013-A, 56014-A, 56016-A, 56017-A.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.
Requirements
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Conditions of employment
- You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
- All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
- Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
- Subject to background/security investigation.
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ([click to reveal website link]). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
- Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
- Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
Qualifications
Basic Requirements:
- United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
- English Language Proficiency: Biomedical Engineers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.
- Education and/or Experience: The individual must meet either item (1) or (2) below to meet this requirement: (1) Bachelor's Degree or Higher in Engineering. To be creditable, the curriculum must be from a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), as a professional engineering curriculum. Examples of acceptable engineering degrees include: Biomedical Engineering, Clinical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biomechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Biochemical Engineering. Titles may vary from educational institutions and change over time. OR, (2) Certification as a Certified Clinical Engineer (CCE) and a bachelor's degree not listed in item 3.b.(1) above.
- Foreign Education: To be creditable for the education requirement, a degree/curriculum completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. Such education must be, at a minimum, equivalent to a bachelor's degree, as outlined in Section 3.b. below.
May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).
Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment listed in paragraph 3 above, the following education and experience criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:
Biomedical Engineer, GS-7 (Entry Level)
Experience: None beyond the basic requirements.
Education: Bachelor's degree as outlined in paragraph 3.b.(1), above, or CCE certification with at least a bachelor's degree not listed in paragraph 3.b.(1).
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: None beyond the basic requirements.
Biomedical Engineer, GS-9 (Developmental Level 1)
Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower level. OR,
Education: Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering, or a related field of study, as outlined in paragraph 3.b.(1). OR. Bachelor's degree, as outlined in paragraph 3.b.(1), plus two full years of progressively higher level graduate education in a related field of study, that demonstrates the KSAs for the GS-9 level assignment.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
i. Knowledge of the principles, theories, concepts, and practices of the Biomedical Engineering profession.
ii. Ability to interpret relevant codes, regulations, guidelines, and standards, and make recommendations to ensure compliance with medical center programs.
iii. Ability to understand the operational needs of clinical services in the health care system.
iv. Ability to prepare material on current technical topics and trends, for presentation to other technical staff and mid-level hospital management, and the ability to keep abreast of changes in technology.
Biomedical Engineer: GS-11 (Developmental Level 2)
Experience: At least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower level, and must fully meet the KSAs at that level. OR,
Education: Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree in Biomedical Engineering, or a related field of engineering, as outlined in paragraph 3.b.(1). OR, Bachelor's degree, plus three full years of progressively higher level graduate education in a related field of study, as outlined in paragraph 3.b.(1).
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
i. Ability to implement and/or sustain an equipment management or biomedical research program that meets The Joint Commission (TJC), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), or other applicable regulatory requirements.
ii. Ability to develop material for a continuing education program for clinical or research staff, that address the principles and application of medical technology, and/or biomedical theory used in healthcare.
iii. Ability to advise staff on emerging medical technology, or research procedures, while keeping abreast of changes in such technology, and utilizing the information to solve biomedical engineering problems.
iv. Knowledge of basic project management principles, as applied to the healthcare setting and medical equipment, and information system implementation.
Biomedical Engineer: GS-12 (Full Performance Level)
Experience: Completion of at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower level; or completion of a post-doctoral research fellowship in the field of biomedical engineering, and must fully meet the KSAs at that level.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
i. Ability to conduct a medical equipment management or biomedical research program that is compliant with applicable healthcare standards and regulatory agencies.
ii. Ability to develop a curriculum for a continuing education program, that address the safe and effective use of medical technology, and/or research devices.
iii. Ability to manage a recall and safety alert program for medical devices, including medical device hazard investigations, to assure compliance with patient safety goals, SMDA, and TJC requirements.
iv. Ability to conduct capital asset and infrastructure planning for medical equipment spanning initial concept, installation, and effective implementation of complex medical equipment.
v. Ability to function as the subject matter expert in the field of biomedical engineering, directly supporting specialized clinical technology, including service, system administration, training, quality assurance, and life-cycle management.
vi. Ability to effectively advise clinical and administrative staff on medical technology, including existing and emerging technology, which addresses viability, long-term suitability, compatibility, and/or safety.
vii. Knowledge of concepts related to computer based medical systems, networking protocols, and information security as it applies to medical technology within VHA.
viii. Skill in communicating and working collaboratively with key stakeholders, including technical and professional staff at various levels of the organization.
ix. Ability to apply project management principles to deployment of medical equipment and health information technologies.
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit [click to reveal website link].
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-7 to GS-12.
Physical Requirements: The duties require exposure to environments where there is a possibility of exposure to contagious diseases and infections, as well as exposure to high temperature, high voltage and amperage, ultraviolet and other radiation, and hazardous materials. The incumbent must have a thorough understanding of universal precautions to ensure the safety of him/herself as well as the ensuring Clinical Engineering Service follows these precautions. The majority of the incumbent's duties are sedentary in nature; however, duties may require kneeling, carrying, climbing, crawling, lifting and working in confined spaces or on ladders.
Education
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: [click to reveal website link]. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: [click to reveal website link].
Additional information
Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.
If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.
Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Benefits
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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.